3 wood from the tee: when is it time to stop!!

Hi Lads,

I'm having a little problem at the moment with my tee shots. Basically I hit my 3 wood well and usually about 210-230 off the tee, I can hit my driver further but with a BIG left to right. It's unreliable and often ruins my scores and means I'm in trouble from the second shot.

My question is if I leave the driver to the range until I get more consistent with it, at what point does it actually become worth bringing it back to the course? Should I wait until I get it 250 plus with good consistency or is that not really worth it for a 20 yard gain!!

What do you guys think?

Id say that when you can hit your driver fairly straight and consistent, then you go with it off of the tee.

I started playing about 4 years ago and I had the same problem. I used to ALWAYS use a 3W off the tee. When I first started I didn't really have a driver, except for my Dad's old 9 degree, which I couldn't hit so I left it out of my bag. I got pretty good with the 3w, just like you, and could hit it around the 230-250 range. Then I got a 10.5 degree Cleveland driver from my friend about 2 years ago. At first I was awful with it; most of my drives wouldn't leave the ground, but I stuck with it at the range and after a couple range sessions, I got it down. I didn't stick it in my bag until I was comfortable on the range with it. I didn't have the confidence on the course to use it, so I thought it would help me if I only used it at the range until I KNEW I could hit it.

Just recently I got a Ping G2 8.5 degree driver. I can hit that thing as straighter than I used to hit my 3w, and recently I've been hitting 275-285, with the occasional 300 if I pound it and get a good roll! My only suggestion is just to keep practicing with it. It took me a while to get it down, but once I did, it was worth it. Now I rarely hit my 3W off the tee because I can usually hit my driver just as straight. It's all about confidence with that club, and the range helps a lot with that.

I would also try to get your hands on a different driver, just to try it out. You don't need to go buy one, but maybe just see if you can hit a friends. Your driver could just be a tough one to hit, like my Dad's old 9 degree (which I still can't hit).

To answer your question about when to take the driver out on the course: I would take it out whenever you start to feel confident with it. Go spend an entire bucket hitting it. Even if you shank half of them, it only takes a couple of nice drives to get that confidence. Good luck!

PS. Try watching some videos of pros driving the ball. It helped me out just to see how they do it.

You didn't mention the specs of your driver. You problem may lie there.

i'd say use the 3W for most driving holes.  but if there's an opportunity to pull out the driver where the fairway is fairly wide and forgiving, give it a go!  there's no practice like teeing off on the course.  i always feel like no matter how much you practice at the range, nothing will simulate how you feel on the teebox.

plus, what do you really have to lose??  i know some people always harp on your score being the priority, but i'd rather get worse scores in the short-term and learn how to hit shots on the course and eventually go low once you get better.